This archived Tech Pro Research report, originally published in May 2014, is available for free to registered TechRepublic members. For all the latest research reports, 100+ ready-made policies, IT job descriptions, and more, check out Tech Pro Research.

From the report:

If the subject of wearable implementation was compared to a plane ride, the aircraft would still be boarding with a less-than-clear flight plan, but it’s a trip everyone knows they might want to take.

The vast majority of respondents (92%) have either some knowledge about wearables, have read extensively about them, or have hands-on experience.

Despite this significant amount of exposure, only 11% of respondents say their organizations are already using, are in the midst of implementing, or have allocated budget for wearables.

The most commonly cited reason against the implementation of wearable devices was “no business need.” If the wearable market is to grow, vendors will need to better explain the business needs to potential customers.

Among those who have implemented wearables, most are in the healthcare and business service/consulting industries. Sensors/monitors and smart watches topped the list of wearables that respondents said would be a good fit for their organization.

A large portion of the wearables currently in use are entering the workplace through BYOD programs or a combination of BYOD and company-provided devices. In fact, 58% of respondents said that IT had very little or no involvement in the deployment process.

IT budget allocated to wearables is still extremely limited, but the large majority of respondents reported that their organization’s wearables budget for this year had either remained constant or increased.

Lastly, despite the rather small number of respondents currently using wearables, those who are using them reported clear gains from their deployment. Improved communication, better organizational capabilities, and enhanced productivity were most often cited as the value brought to respondents’ organizations by wearables.